


For Science

by Boogum



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Gen, Humor, I couldn't resist, Platonic Marichat - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:02:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23412766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boogum/pseuds/Boogum
Summary: How should a guardian go about harvesting tears of joy? Stealing one from an unsuspecting friend, Marinette suspects, is probably not the answer.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 36
Kudos: 223





	For Science

**Author's Note:**

  * For [carpisuns (maryssaj)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/maryssaj/gifts).



> I was feeling marichat in this chili’s tonight, and I happened to stumble across an old screenshot of chatnoirinette's tumblr tags that I’d saved to my phone. This is for you, Maryssa.

It’s become an instinct. If Marinette happens to let slip a tear of joy, she will grab a vial and bottle it up faster than Mr Ramier can grab the next copy of _Pigeon Weekly_. (Never mind he writes and stars in it himself, accompanied by Paris’s snazziest of pigeons.)

But pigeons are not the issue here. The fact is that tears of joy have become precious commodities: the last slice of pizza left after a movie night, the shiny orichalcum needed to create the ultimate weapon, the most coveted holy grail of tears. There can be no wasting them. Power up macarons and cheeses still needed to be made, especially since Hawkmoth has decided to take his akumas to Level 60 Boss Mode.

So when Chat Noir starts dropping by Marinette’s room for friendly visits, it’s only natural that the two of them should grow closer. Only natural they should tell jokes and laugh with each other. Only natural that when he’s making wheezing donkey noises and a tear slips free from his eyes, she goes for the vial like a hunter about to get the number one prize—aka, belly flops onto the floor and holds the vial up to catch the tear.

Chat blinks.

Marinette blinks.

“Uhh,” he says, and leans back from the vial. “What are you doing?”

Her smile is as wide as a valley, and the only thing it contains is awkward. “I’m collecting tears … for, uh, science.”

“For science?”

“Yep.” A nervous laugh, a glance at a non-existent watch. “Wow, look at the time. Maybe we should—”

He leans forward, staring deep into her eyes. She gulps.

“Are you lying to me?” he asks.

Her heart quickens. “N-nope.”

He moves closer so their noses almost bump. His gaze is x-ray intense, searching to expose her for the lying fraud she is. Oh no. This is bad. It feels like if she blinks or so much as twitches, he’s gonna pounce with a _A-ha, I know you’re Ladybug!_ cry. Then she’ll be ruined and probably labelled the worst guardian ever, and then she’ll have to give up being Ladybug, and then—

“You are,” he says, still too close.

Warmth spills over her cheeks. Her heart stutters worse than her attempts at speech around Adrien.

Forcing a laugh, she pushes him back with a hand to his nose. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m just … curious about tears.”

“Right.” His eyebrow quirks. “For science.”

“Yes.” 

The smile that tugs at one corner of his lips is far too smug. Might as well be the smile version of Chloe. _Ha ha, Dupain-Cheng_ , it says. _How does it feel to suck so much at lying? I can see right through you._

Her blush darkens and she scrambles into a proper sitting position, careful not to tip the vial. “Okay, time for a subject change.”

All his smug swagger vanishes. “Hey now, you can’t just do that.”

“Yeah I can. My room, my rules.”

“Well, it’s my tear, and I wanna know why you’re bottling it like Igor about to take it off to Master for the latest experiment.”

She hides the vial behind her back, but his eyes track her hands and linger as he sits there all twitching ears and swishing tail. So much for out of sight, out of mind.

“C’mon, Marinette,” he says, pulling out the pleading kitty eyes. “I promise I won’t laugh, and you have to admit you kinda do owe me an explanation.”

A wince steals its way to her face. Yes, she probably does. It’s not like it’s normal to collect your friends’ tears of joy. (But damn does she wish it was. Making the power up recipe would be so much easier.)

One of her fingers rubs against the vial over and over, and her eye keeps twitching.

“Marinette, my good friend and tear thief—”

A giggly snort is startled out of her.

His teeth peep out in a grin. “Is that what I’m going to have to call you now? Miss Tear Thief? Or would you rather I call you Mad Scientist? I should warn that if you don’t tell me what’s going on, I’ll assume you’re one of Hawkmoth’s henchman, codenamed the Tear Hoarder Princess, and have been assigned to collect my amazing, magical Chat Noir tears for some plan that—”

“St-stop.”

It’s hard to fight the giggles. She’ll be the one on the floor and making wheezing donkey noises any moment.

His joins in her laughter, but then his expression softens, a smile lingering in his eyes. “I really won’t judge. I’m just confused.”

She bites her lip. The seconds tick on.

“I … I’m sorry, Chat, but can we just leave it as for science?”

His nose scrunches. “You really don’t want to tell me that much?”

“It’s embarrassing.”

The excuse is flimsy on her tongue, but her kitty has always been respectful. She knows he won’t push if she asks him not to.

He stares at her for a moment before shrugging. “Okay. Hawkmoth’s henchman it is.”

Another laugh is dragged out of her. “Chat!”

“I did warn.”

But he also doesn’t push her for answers again. Not that night or any others. He’s a good kitty like that.

(And it’s only much, much later that she realises she could have just asked him as Ladybug to help her out.)


End file.
